Manufacture of livestock feeds



Oct. 25, 1932. c, R, MABEE MANUFACTURE OF LIVESTOCK FEEDS Filed Aug. l0, 1925 lullig 1N VENTOR (Jef/m55 i. /7/155/5 BYM alzava A'ITORNEY PatentedOct. 25, 1932 oNrrsD *stares CHARLES R. MBEE, OF BUFFALfNEV YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

CHARLES H. DONALDSON, F BUFFALO, NEVI MANUFAcTUnn or Lrvns'rocx FEEDS' Application led August 10, 1925. Serial No. 49,236.

This invention relates to the manufacture of feeding materials, particularly such materials as are suitable for use in live stock feeding.

{B an object of the invention is to provide a simple and efiicient apparatus forthe treatment of farm roughage, for example, hay, various kinds of fodder, stover, etc., in such a manner as to enhance the palatability 'and feeding value thereof. 1

, Other objects of the invention Will be in` issued January 18, 1927, as Patent llo.I

telenet. i

l have found that Whencomminuted farm roughaga that is hay, various kinds of fodders, straw, etc., either alone or combined with cer-sal materials is subjected in the `presence of moisture in an amount sufficient to thoroughly dampen suoli material at a temperature slightly above ordinary temperatures and in i acompresscd condition tothe action of a ferment, which may be such ferment or ferments are inherently present in the material an d/ or ferments present in or produced from other materials such as,` for example, maltk and yeast, live stock feeding materia produced in a form orcondition in ivliiich they are readily assimilated. Further, these materials are adapted for use either alone or in combination With other feeding materials such as grains, oil meals, etc.

lVhen the usual farm roughage is comminuted or shredded, a cubic foot in a noncompressed condition will Weigh from about two to pounds. Accordingly, when in this condition, they require for retention. a relatively larger container than Would be required should the comminuted material be subjected to pressure, for example, a pressure sufficient to compress from 10 tol-20 pounds into one cubic foot of space.

By compressing the roughage as by the application of pressure or simply by packing into a container, the volume of space required dias;L

for the materials is reduced to about one; u

fourth of that Which Would be required `vvere no pressure exerted; the amount of heat required to maintain a given temperature, radiation being considered, is reduced by about the amount of moisture required to maintain a given degree of humidity is reduced by approximately and a more rapid fermentation en sues in that the ferment and the materials are brought into more intif mate contact.v

The coinminuted vegetable material or rougliage may be compressed into a suitable Vcontainer by any convenient method and may be combined or impregnated. with a. ferment or f erments introduced While in either a dry in a liquid state or suspended in air, and the impregnation may taire place either before, after or during the period at Whichthe material is undergoing treatment under the influence of heat, moisture and pressure. T he fermentative activity may be accelerated by an addition to the comminuted roughage of auxiliary or readily fermentable nutrients, as rye, barley, corn, middlings and leguminous vegetation, Which may be in a partially fermented and preferably finely ground condition.

When treating dry vegetable material containing found advantageous to `subject the materials to a preliminary treatment in the presence of ivateigsuflicient to have the` material Well wetted at a temperature above the boiling point of Water, and thereafter suitably reducing the temperature. By means of this treatment the fibrous material is opened up or rendered more porous and hence more readily accessible for action thereon by the ferment. This preliminary step, While desirable in some. instances, is not a necessary preparatory step, for the process may be carried out at any temperature and terminated after the material has been subjected for a suits.1 le period to the action of a ferment under the influence of heat in the presence of moisture and While under continuous or intermittent pressure or compressed in a container by other suitable means.

For a fuller understanding of the nature large amounts of libre, it may be lill and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which is shown a longitudinal section, partly broken away, of an apparatus suitable for rthe practice of my invention.

This apparatus comprises incombination a container 1 which is substantially open at Y both .ends `andmounted upon a support 16.

The wall 2 of the container is surroundedv by an annular space 3 serving as a jacket, the outer wall ,4 of which iscovered:Y with 'anv ins`ulati'ng material 23. The upper portion of,Y the container lies in a plane Substantially .thaty ofla ,mow floor 1.9,and the lower porti-onv .1, rests upon a feeding Hoor 3,3.

A means for increasing the` temperature ofl aliquld, as ahot water heater E5,I is connected by a pipe 9vw1th a reservoir 14, which r.eser

voirmay be supported bya mow floor. rlfhe y pipe 9-is provided with regulating V'valves 10 Vand 11, and between th-esevalves at 2,4 is al y watersupply. A hose 15 is connected at the lower'portion of the reservoir, the upper end being loosely held by a clamp 26.

Positioned above the upper end vofV therv container isa hoist 20,. for moving a clover f weight .17 vertically within the container and acent to the Walls thereof.` The coveru weight whenl lowered actsin amanner to substantially close the upper endI ofthe container l and it may be of any materifahbuft it has been found to be advantageous to have part32' which rests upon the vegetable material', comvposed of a material whichdoes not readily transfer heat.; Wood isa satisfactory insu-V lating material to attach to a casting or -steel plate inthe fabrication of; the cover weight.'

. `Weights weighing from 10 pounds per square` foot to 120 pounds per square foot have been cused. It has beenV observed that when the nraterialsaremoist and heated they enter into:

avery compact form, which yenables them to retain heat, and further that heat is gener!r ated in thennaterials. muchfaster with a heavy cover weight than with a light one.

e :ln elevation attached to the feeding ioorv prevents,v liquidV materials from flowing over;

the floor and' it may be of circular form about 1- the lower end of'the container.v

The quantity of material treated will be.

Ldetermined by the size of the container, and

this inA turn by the number of animals to be fed; thus the container, for example, mayvary from 3j 3j by y1" to 13" by '3" 2, the; chargeof'vegetable material from 50 pounds f to y5700 pounds, the ferment infusion from 64 pounds to 6125 pounds (which infusion may be prepared by treating from 1 to 57 pounds of ferment-containing material at a temperaturelfrom about 100 F. for yeast tov 160 F. for diastase and inherent ferments), the period of treatment from 12 to 36 hours, and the pressure such that 1 cubic foot shall contain from 10' to 20 pounds of comminuted vegetable materia-l.

Y As an illustrative embodiment of a manner for carrying" the. invention into practical eect, the following is given, based upon the rutil-ization of' a'co-ntainer 11 high and 3 2 in diameter. Heat about 1875 pounds of Waterto a temperature of approximately 175 F., after which the water is transferred from the heater 8 through pipe 9 into the infusion reservoir, valves. 10, 11 and .25 be; ing suitably adjusted. Vpassage through the pipe and of heating the Walls ofthe reservoir, the temperature of thev water is reduced to about 170F.' The temperature of the Water in the reservoir may` floor. When the container is filled 15 pounds.,

of maltd'iastase in theY form of ground barleyl malty may be introduced intov the reservoir. The mixture ofrmalt and hot water may be agitated 'until the soluble portions of the .malt are dissolved., The infusion ,of malt is vthen allowedto. flow over the upper portion of' the vegetable material and to gradually ypercolate downY through so that the materials. are heated and moistened.V

Ther amount of moisture varies with the character of the vegetable material, but in no case is there a sufficient addition to submerge the vegetable material. The tempera- In consequence of' ture ofthe infusion con-taining the ferment is usually from. 155, F. to 170 F., at the time it is poured over the vegetable materials. 1n the winter a higher temperaturemay be found necessary than during the summer, as greater portions of'thefheatwill be required to bring It is preferable to have the j aclret surrounding the container heavily insulated `over its outer wall. This insulation of the outer wall may be accomplished by applying about l of asbestos.

In the warmer months, in order to prevent circulation through the jarleted space, the

`valves 25 and 6 should be closed, thus enabling the jacket to act in an insulating capacity. During the winter, these valves are so regulated as to admit heating medium to the jacket and maintain aV temperature within the container approximating MOO I?.

The vegetable materials may be tightly pressed into the container and then covered by any suitable means, preferably insulated, or the upper portion of the container mav be so covered without departing from `the invention, it being considered that the materials are moistened with an infusion containing a ferment and that the heat is maintained at a suitable temperature.

` The feeding stuffs at'the lower end of the container are so compact that they support themselves and do not rest upon the feeding floor, except when materials are introduced into an empty container. The feeding stuffs consequently substantially close the lower end of the container, retaining the heat in the major portion of the materials to the same except approximately as though the `lower end of the container were positively closed. The duration of retention of the vegetable materials within the container depends upon the nature of those materials, the length of the individual particles and the extent de- A siredof the conversion of starches and cellulose into sugars and alcohol. In the event that the container is filled in one operation,

containing starches, and I have found that this action may be preserved at higher temperatures where the materials are not submerged in liquid than where the materials are submerged.

Further, the method may be carried out in a manner which may be termed a semicontinuous process, thatis, the dry roughage to be treated is handled progressively. As the treated roughage is removed from the container by any desired means, suiiicient additional material is introduced into the container and properlymoistened and treated so that at all times the process continues with the container substantially filled with the vegetable material. This mode of operation effects expediency and efficiency `in the production of the feed stocks. y Y

The process may also be conducted by what may be called a batch procedure, that is, the container, entirely empty, is completely filled with the vegetable material at a given operation. When the vegetable material is suiiiciently treated, it is removed in its entirety, the container then being refilled and the operation repeated.

In farm practice, where the period of treatment is not essentially an important factor and where the feeding materials are utilized, itmay be said at the point of manufacture, the process may be carried out 'successfully by a slou7 treatment and without subjecting the materials to a temperature much greater than atmospheric temperatures. Bypracticing this slow process, `which entails the lengthening of the treatment at a temperan ture materially below the boiling point of water, there is obtained substantially the same results as are obtained by higher temperatures used for a relatively shorter time. In the slow process as well as in the process hereinbefore referred to, the inherent fermen-ts, although it is not necessary, may have their action augmented by the use of`auxiliary ferments, such as those which have previously been mentioned, by admixing` such auxiliary ferments with the dry comminuted roughage prior t0, at the time of, or after its introduction into the container'. It will, of course, be understood that the activity and vitality of the ferment is not to be inhibited by the use of too high temperatures.

This fermentative treatment which may be applied as continuous, semi-continuous, batch and quick or slow process, through the action of a ferment as diaet-ase, yeast, etc., promotes the development of enzymes when commingled with the materials which are to be utilized for feeding purposes. The starch and perhaps a part of the cellulose present in the materials undergoing treatment may be under suitable temperature conditions, in whole or in part, converted into less complex carbohydrates of a sugary character. The value of the feeding materials is enhanced by the addition of these digestive agents, and

the enzymes produced thereby.

-of -eXtraneousr-ferments with the material v As en .i-ncidentaladvantage of the process, due -to the use of materially less water or moisture than would be required yshould .the 'comminu-ted material 'be treatedY without compression, the lnecessity of removing the excess Water from the mass, as by evapora-v tion, isvavoided. The soluble y'i-rgredients arev released from the container :in conjunction withtheiinsolublematerial in a comparatively dry state without loss of nutrient value.

YVhere a batch methodof processingis em- I Aployed, `-the 4mass may be dried within the -conta'iner -or "allowed to escape therefrom .1n

la relatively moist condition. Y

It 'has been pointed out that the roughage contains inherent-ferments which in 1themselves will 'producedesirablechemical .changes without the aid-of extraneous ferments, and

Y it will-,of course, be understood therefore that Vth'e invention is -not conned to a combining 5 Patent, is Y l: 1n an apparatus for the processing of farm roughage, a vertical container formed with'substantially'open upper and lower-ends, and me'ans to' support said container on a tloor with said lower 4end in spaced relation to said floor, said supporting means being so arranged asnot substantially to interfere with the withdrawal of vprocessed materials :from beneath said container, andthe crosssectional larea at'the lower-end of said container being at least gas great as 'the crosssec'tion-al area at any plane above the same. `2. In an appara-tus fortheprocessing of f-a-rin roughage, a -containerarr-anged wi-th fan open end vat the base Vtl-i'ereof, 'means to -su'ppor-t -said container in. spaced relation to a floor', and a continuous wall extending upwardly from said floor and `forming azbasin adjacent said opening, the cross-sectional i areaat the lower fend of said container being Y, at least ias great as the cross-sectional area rou have com risind a vertical vcontainer' downwardly therethrough, and-to be with-V drawn from Abeneath the bottom thereof, 'the at any 'plane above the same.

Apparatus vfor the treatment `of farm formed with side walls, the upper and lower -ends and the interior of the 1container being unrestricted to permit roughage to vbesreadily introduced-into the `top thereof, toinove freely cross-sectional yarea at the lower end of said vcontainer being atleast as ygreat as the crosssectional area at any plane above the same.

4l. Apparatus forV the treatment of farm roughage comprising a vertical container formed with side walls and with open upper 4and lower ends, and means to support said container in position to permit the withdrawal-of treated roughage from beneath all sides of the open lower end of the container,

the cross-sectional area at `the lower end of said container being at least as great as the cross-sectional area at any plane above the Same.

5. Apparatus for the treatment of farmm ysides of the open lowerend of the container,

and means to press material in the container toward and out of the lower end thereof.

6. Apparatus for the treatment of farm roughage comprising a vertical container kformed with side walls and open at its upper and lower ends, the lower end being supyported in spaced relationship Lto a floor to permit the withdrawal of treated roughage therefrom, and the upper end lying in a plane substantially that of a mow floor to permit the ready introduction of roughage therein, and the cross-sectional area at the lower end of said contain-er being .at least as great as the cross-sectional area at any plane above the same.

7. Apparatus for the treatment of farm roughage comprising a vertical container formed with side walls and open at its upper and lower ends, the y.lower end being supported in `spaced relationship to a floor to .permit the withdrawal of treated roughage therefrom, and the upper end lying in a `plane substantially that of amowfloor to permit the ready introduction of roughage therein, the crosssectional area at the lower end of said container being at least as great as the crosssectional area 'at .any plane above the same, andmeafns for compressing the roughage in said container.

8. Apparatus for the conversionof farm roughage comprising a container, an insulating envelope in spaced relation to certain of the walls 'of said container, and means to introduce a heating fluid into the space between the said container fand said envelope, said con-tainer being formed with open upper and lower endsto permit the introduction of farm roughage into the top -thereofand the withdrawal of treated roughage at the base thereof in a rcontinuous manner. Y

-9-. yApparatus for the treatment of farm roughage, comprising a vertical container formed with side walls, the upper and lower ends and the interior of the `container being unrestricted to permit roughage to be readily introduced into the top thereof, to move freely downwardly therethrough, and to be withdrawn from beneath the bottom thereof, and means to supply heat to said container.

10. Apparatus for the treatment of farm roughage, comprising a vertical container formed with side walls and with open upper and lower ends, means to support said container in position to permit the withdrawal of treated roughage from beneath all sides of the open lower end of the container, means to press material in the container toward and out of the lower end thereof, and means to supply heat to said container.

ll. In apparatus for the processing of farm roughage, a container having an open lower end the cross-sectional area of which is at least as great as the cross-sectional area throughout the length of said container, and means to supply heat to said container.

l2. Apparatus for the continuous treat-- ment of farm roughage, comprising a vertical container formed with side walls, the upper and lower ends and the interior of the container being unrestricted to permit roughage to be readil7 introduced into the top thereof, to move freely downwardly therethrough, and to be withdrawn from beneath the bottom thereof, the cross-sectional area of the container being substantially the same at all points throughout its length.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES R. MABEE. 

